Department for Education

Schools: Standards

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent progress her Department has made on ensuring that (a) schools rated as inadequate by Ofsted become an academy and (b) schools rated as requiring improvement.

Nick Gibb: Regional Directors (RDs) take key operational decisions delegated to them by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education.Maintained schools that have been judged inadequate by Ofsted are required to become sponsored academies in order to secure rapid and sustainable improvement. In these circumstances, the RD matches the school with a suitable sponsor, issues an Academy Order and agrees at which point the funding agreement can be signed.The below table sets out how many sponsored academies have been opened as a result of an Academy Order being issued to a Local Authority maintained school having been judged inadequate.Academic YearNumber of Sponsored Academies Opened2015/201622016/2017982017/20181392018/20191512019/2020902020/2021962021/2022412022/2023 (to date)39On 1 September 2022, the Department introduced a new intervention measure for schools that are judged Requires Improvement by Ofsted, and were also judged below Good in their previous full inspection. The Department announced that they would write to all governing bodies and trusts where schools meet the legal scope for intervention, except those where general exemptions apply.The Department confirmed that most of the initial activity will be prioritised within the 55 education investment areas. In all cases, the Department will be inviting representations from trusts or other appropriate bodies before making an assessment on whether the school has the necessary capacity to achieve rapid and sustained improvement and whether intervention is required. The Department has now begun to communicate decisions to schools, following consideration of the representations made.In addition, in September 2022, the Department launched a new iteration of the Trust and School Improvement (TSI) offer, offering up to 10 days of improvement support and advice from a system leader to schools (including single academy trusts and multi-academy trusts with only one school) that receive an Ofsted Requires Improvement judgement during the 2022/23 academic year and to Trusts that contain at least two schools for three years and meet at least one of the below criteria:At least 50% of schools in receipt of an Ofsted Requires Improvement or Inadequate judgement (only includes schools that have been inspected since joining the trust)Overseen more declines in Ofsted judgements than improvements, in schools’ most recent inspections since they joined the trust.

Childcare: Bournemouth East

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support the provision of early years childcare in Bournemouth East constituency.

Claire Coutinho: In the Spring Budget 2023, the government announced a number of transformative reforms to childcare for parents and children. This government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education by 2027/28, helping working families with their childcare costs. This announcement represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England.From September 2025, working parents will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks a year, from the point their child is 9 months to when their child starts school. The department is ensuring a phased implementation of the expansion to the 30 hours offer to allow the market to develop the necessary capacity. We are working closely with the sector on the implementation of these reforms.The government will also increase support for those parents on Universal Credit who face the highest childcare costs, by increasing the Universal Credit childcare cost maximum amount and providing support with childcare costs upfront rather than arrears.The reforms announced build on the department’s current early education entitlements that the government offers, which includes a universal 15 hour offer for all 3 and 4-year-olds, a 15 hour offer for the most disadvantaged 2-year-olds, the existing 30 hours offer for 3 and 4-year-olds, Tax-Free Childcare, and Universal Credit Childcare.My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, also announced that the hourly rates for the entitlements will be substantially uplifted, on top of additional investments announced at the 2021 Spending Review and on 16 December 2022.We will provide £204 million from September 2023, increasing to £288 million by 2024/25, or local authorities to further increase hourly funding rates to providers, with further uplifts to follow each year. This will include an average 30% increase in the national average 2-year-old hourly rate from September 2023 and means that the average hourly rate for 2-year-olds will rise from the current £6 per hour in 2023/24 to around £8 per hour. The average 3 and 4-year-old rate will rise in line with inflation to over £5.50 per hour from September 2023, with further uplifts beyond this.This funding is in addition to the £4.1 billion that the government will provide by 2027/28 to facilitate the expansion of the new free hours offer.The government is investing up to £180 million in a package of training, qualifications, expert guidance, and targeted support for the early years sector to support the learning and development of the youngest and most disadvantaged children.Designed to support all areas of the early years sector, the Early Years Education Recovery Programme offers national programmes focusing on continuing professional development, with training on child development, communication and language, early maths and personal, social and emotional development, leadership of settings, supporting caregivers in their home learning environment, and speech and language skills of children in reception year.The department will be providing additional funding for qualifications for graduate level specialist training leading to early years teacher status, accredited level 3 early years Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators qualification, and improving the Early Years level 3 qualification. We will also be providing support and guidance to early years settings through Stronger Practice Hubs and Experts and Mentors.The department acknowledges that recruitment and retention are key issues for the early years sector. Supporting this workforce continues to be a priority for the department, and we are working proactively with the sector and local authorities to grow, develop, and support the workforce.

Pre-school Education: Safety

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children in early years settings (a) are safe and (b) receive adequate social interaction when the adult-to-child ratio is increased.

Claire Coutinho: The government remains committed to supporting the childcare sector, and to providing flexibility to providers in order to help more parents to access childcare in support of their working lives. That is why, on 15 March 2023, the government announced a significant new investment in childcare worth over £4.1 billion by 2027/28. In addition, the government has decided to proceed with the proposed changes to staff to child ratios for 2-year-olds from 1:4 to 1:5, to bring English ratios in line with Scottish ratios.The health and safety of children will always be a priority, it is providers’ responsibility to ensure that staffing arrangements meet the needs of all children and ensure their safety. The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets out specific ratios and qualification requirements for specific age bands. These ratios are there to help ensure that there is adequate staffing to meet the needs of and to safeguard children. Additionally, providers are required to adhere to the learning and development requirements within the EYFS, which are available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/974907/EYFS_framework_-_March_2021.pdf. These requirements are informed by the best available evidence on how children learn and reflect the broad range of skills, knowledge, and attitudes children need to thrive, and as foundations for good future progress.The department is also changing the EYFS framework to increase safety and help prevent choking incidences in early years settings. We will make it explicit that ‘adequate supervision’ whilst children are eating means that children must always be in sight and hearing of a member of staff, not just within sight or hearing.The government trusts that setting managers know their children and staff best, and fully supports the judgement of setting managers and practitioners to work at the ratios that are right for the individual needs of their staff and children. The proposed changes to ratios would continue to be a statutory minimum requirement for settings, and there will be no obligation on providers to operate at the statutory minimums. Providers can continue to work to tighter ratios if they decide that is best for the children and staff at their setting. A full response to the consultation is accessible at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1142987/Childcare_regulatory_changes_government_consultation_response.pdf.

Childcare: Fees and Charges

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the average annual cost of childcare for households with (a) one child, (b) two children and (c) more than two children (i) under the age of two and (ii) between the ages of two and five; and what recent steps she has taken to improve access to affordable childcare.

Claire Coutinho: The department does not estimate the average annual cost of childcare in the way the question has set out. The reporting year 2021 ‘Childcare and early years survey of parents’ incorporates a breakdown of weekly childcare spend at family level, which includes families with 1, 2 or 3+ children, and also at child level, including child age. It is also the case that some parents use formal childcare in term time only (38 weeks) whereas others use it year-round.In the Spring Budget announcement of 15 March 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children, and the economy. By 2027/28, the government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.The reforms include:Providing over £4.1 billion by 2027/28 to fund 30 hours of free childcare for children over the age of nine monthsInvesting £204 million from September 2023, rising to £288 million in 2024-25 to uplift the rates for existing entitlementsIncreasing the supply of wraparound care through £289 million start up fundingAttracting more people to childminding through an up to £7.2 million start up grant fundGiving providers more flexibility by changing staff-to-child ratios to 1:5 for two year olds in EnglandLaunching a consultation on further measures to support reform of the childcare market, to explore further flexibilities for providers

Academies: Admissions

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2023 to Question 132392 on Admissions: Academies, whether her Department has provided (a) additional support and (b) guidance to local authorities to help them meet their statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for all children living in their area.

Nick Gibb: The Department supports Local Authorities with capital funding for additional school places provided through the Basic Need Grant. Based on Local Authorities’ forecasted pupil numbers, the Department has provided £535 million to create school places needed for September 2023, a further £745 million for places needed by September 2024 and £195 million for places needed by September 2025. At a national level, births have been dropping since 2013. There will continue to be a need for new school places, particularly if areas have a higher birth rate, new housing developments or increased migration from the UK and overseas.Local Authorities can use the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) to manage significant growth in pupils’ numbers. As part of the DSG, the Department has allocated £259 million in Growth and Falling Rolls funding to Local Authorities in 2023/24. This is an increase of £13 million on funding allocated for 2022/23.The Department also provides funding to Local Authorities for children who have arrived due to humanitarian and resettlement schemes. In 2022/23 the Department has so far allocated £160 million funding for children who have arrived via the Homes for Ukraine scheme and will allocate a further £30 million at the end of March 2023 for children from Afghanistan in bridging hotels.Guidance on the process to create a free school, where a Local Authority has identified the need for a new school, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/establishing-a-new-school-free-school-presumption.Guidance for Local Authorities on the prescribed alterations process to increase places at existing maintained schools can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-organisation-maintained-schools.The Department engages with Local Authorities on a regular basis to review their plans for creating additional places and to consider alternatives where necessary. When Local Authorities are experiencing difficulties, the Department provides additional support and advice to help them find solutions as quickly as possible, including when there are sudden population influxes.

Pupils: Absenteeism

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schoolchildren were persistently absent in the 2021-22 academic year.

Nick Gibb: Information on the number of pupils who were persistently absent is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england.

Free School Meals: Disadvantaged

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to extend the eligibility criteria for free school meals to cover all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit and equivalent benefits.

Nick Gibb: Since 2010, the number of pupils receiving a free school meal (FSM) has increased by more than two million. This increase in provision is due to the introduction of Universal Infant Free School Meals and generous protections put in place as benefit recipients move across to Universal Credit. Over a third of pupils in England now receive FSM, compared with one in six in 2010.The Department believes that the current eligibility threshold level, which enables children in low income households to benefit from FSM, while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one. The Department does not have plans to change the current eligibility conditions for FSM, but will continue to keep eligibility under review to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them. The Department continues to monitor the consequences of the rising cost of living and is working with other Government Departments to provide support to disadvantaged families.

Students: Mental Health Services

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support students whose courses have been affected by the insolvency of Supporting Minds CIC.

Robert Halfon: Supporting Minds is a private organisation that neither has contracts with, nor receives government funding from, the Education and Skills Funding Agency or the Office for Students in respect of the provision it delivers and students it has enrolled.The department’s advice to any individuals affected by the closure of this organisation is to contact the National Careers Service to seek advice about the options for enrolling onto another course with a different provider.The National Careers Service provide careers information, advice and guidance to people of all ages and can help individuals to make decisions on learning, training and work at all stages of their career. Their website is available at: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk.As a private provider not receiving government funding, the department assumes it will have charged students for its provision. Affected students will need to make a claim with the insolvency practitioner to try and recover those funds.

Students: Finance

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 25 July 2022 to Question 37600 on Students: Finance, what progress her Department has made on delivering an Alternative Student Finance product compatible with Islamic finance principles.

Robert Halfon: The government is committed to delivering an Alternative Student Finance (ASF) product compatible with Islamic finance principles as soon as possible. To support the delivery of an ASF product to date, the government has taken new powers in the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 to enable the Secretary of State to provide alternative payments, in addition to grants and loans. We have further carried out work with specialist advisers, the Islamic Finance Council UK, on the design of an ASF model.As set out in the answer of 25 July 2022 to Question 37600, the government is introducing the Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE), which will significantly change the ways students can access learning and financial support.Work is underway to assess how we can ultimately deliver an ASF product alongside the LLE. We are procuring advice from experts in Islamic finance and will be working with the Student Loans Company to better understand timescales for delivery of an ASF product.In our response to the LLE consultation, published on 7 March 2023, we set out our aim that students will be able to access an ASF as part of the LLE as soon as possible after 2025.

Foster Care

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take improve the level of foster carer retention.

Claire Coutinho: The department recognises the urgent need to change the way local authorities retain foster carers. We are investing over £3 million to deliver an initial fostering recruitment and retention programme in the North East Regional Improvement and Innovation Alliance. As part of this, retention will be improved with the evidence-based model Mockingbird. Since 2014, the department has provided over £8 million to help embed the Mockingbird programme as an innovative model of peer support for foster parents and the children in their care. The department will then expand our recruitment and retention programme from 2023, by investing over £24 million.The department will work to recruit and retain more foster carers where there are particular shortages. Depending on local need, this may include sibling groups, teenagers, unaccompanied asylum seeking children, other children who have suffered complex trauma or parent and child foster homes.Additionally, the department continues to fund Fosterline and Fosterline Plus, a free-to-access helpline and support service for current and prospective foster carers, to provide high quality, independent information and advice on a range of issues.In recognition of the increasing costs of living, we are also raising the National Minimum Allowance (NMA). Foster carers will benefit from a 12.43% increase to the NMA. This above inflation increase in allowance will help foster parents cover the increasing costs of caring for a child in their home.

Pre-school Education: Pay

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of levels of pay for graduates in the early years sector.

Claire Coutinho: The department publishes data on pay for early years staff by qualification level. The most recent data is available in the 2021 provider survey here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/providers-finances-survey-of-childcare-and-ey-providers-2021.The majority of the early years sector is made up of private, voluntary and independent organisations who set their own rates of pay. The department acknowledges the concerns raised by the sector regarding workforce recruitment and retention, including the perceived impact of salary rates.Following the transformational Spring Budget 2023 announcement and the extension of the 30 hours free childcare entitlement, we will work closely with the sector to develop a plan to grow and develop the workforce, including how to improve professional development within the sector. We will share further information in due course.

Childcare: Finance

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of childcare ratios on the finances of childcare providers.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has conducted a cost-benefit analysis of increasing adult to child ratios in childcare settings.

Claire Coutinho: The government remains committed to supporting the childcare sector and providing flexibility to providers, to help more parents to access childcare in support of their working lives. On 15 March 2023, the government announced a significant new investment in childcare, worth over £4.1 billion, by 2027/28. In addition, the government has decided to proceed with the proposed changes to staff-to-child ratios for 2-year-olds from 1:4 to 1:5, to bring English ratios in line with Scottish ratios.The government trusts that setting managers know their children and their staff best, and fully supports the judgement of setting managers and practitioners to work at the ratios that are right for the individual needs of their staff and children. The proposed changes to ratios would continue to be a statutory minimum requirement for settings, and there will be no obligation on providers to operate at the statutory minimums.A full response to the consultation can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1142987/Childcare_regulatory_changes_government_consultation_response.pdf. Childcare Regulatory Changes: Consultation Response (publishing.service.gov.uk).Alongside the consultation, the department ran a survey of early years providers to establish the likely impact of the changes on provision. This survey has been published in full here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1143005/Findings_from_the_early_years_staff-child_ratio_consultation_survey.pdf.The government will be publishing a full regulatory impact assessment proportionably assessing the impact of the change in ratios on businesses, individuals and other groups in society.

Children: Temporary Accommodation

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department issues guidance to school leadership teams on supporting children housed in temporary accommodation.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional support her Department is providing in the educational setting to children and young people housed in temporary accommodation.

Claire Coutinho: The department’s guidance on school attendance sets out clear expectations of schools, trusts and local authorities in relation to improving school attendance. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance. This guidance recognises that issues with housing (such as being in temporary accommodation) can impact on children’s ability to attend school regularly, and highlights the importance of effective multi-disciplinary support for the family to address attendance problems where that is the case.The government provides a range of help to schools to support disadvantaged pupils, which may include those in temporary accommodation. The Pupil Premium, rising to around £2.9 billion next financial year, is supporting schools to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. School leaders use this extra funding to tailor support, based on the needs of their disadvantaged pupils, and to invest in proven practices that improve outcomes. Currently 1.9 million of the most disadvantaged children are eligible for and claiming a free nutritious meal. In addition, the government is committed to continuing support for school breakfasts. In November 2022, the department extended the National School Breakfast Programme for an additional year until the end of the summer term in 2024.

Wales Office

Monuments: Wales

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussion he has had with the Welsh Government on the (a) Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan and (b) related guidance on an audit of statues and monuments in Wales.

David T C  Davies: I have not had discussions with Welsh Government Ministers about their Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan. The UK Government is fully committed to building a fairer Britain and taking the action needed to address negative disparities wherever they exist. That is why in March 2022 the UK Government published its response to the report by the independent Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities. ‘Inclusive Britain’ sets out a ground-breaking action plan to tackle negative disparities, promote unity, and build a fairer Britain for all. When I was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, I was also delighted to visit the Butetown community centre in Cardiff last year and saw first-hand the great work they are doing with the funding received from the Windrush Community Fund.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Radio Frequencies: Licensing

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessments she has made of the potential impact of the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 on (a) Freeview frequencies for mobile services and (b) access for UK viewers.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to protect the UK’s broadcast spectrum allocation at the 2023 World Radiocommunications Conference.

Julia Lopez: The Government remains committed to the future of broadcast television and radio, and, in particular, to the future of digital terrestrial television (DTT), the technology underpinning the popular Freeview platform, which relies on suitable access to ultra high frequency (UHF) spectrum.The Government has been supportive of Ofcom’s negotiations on behalf of the UK within the ITU and at a European regional level. They have been advocating for the inclusion of a ‘no change’ option, which would maintain broadcast’s priority access to the UHF spectrum.In addition, from a technical and regulatory perspective, even in a scenario where mobile was granted an allocation at the World Radiocommunication Conference 2023, and it is subsequently deployed in neighbouring countries, the UK would be able to rely on the ITU Radio Regulations, ITU Regional Agreements and existing bilateral TV broadcasting agreements with our neighbouring countries to ensure that DTT use of the spectrum in the UK can continue. Before any decisions about the future of DTT in the UK are made, close consideration will be given to how any changes would impact audiences.

Innovation and Research: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department are taking to (a) collaborate with international counterparts on research and innovation and (b) find international funding for research and innovation projects.

George Freeman: The Government aims to place research and innovation at the heart of international bilateral and multilateral relationships, to accelerate the UK’s global science and technology superpower ambitions and underpin the UK’s position as a global force for good. A key enabler will be the delivery of the new DSIT International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) with key partner countries which was announced in December 2022 with an initial budget of £119 million. The Government continues to be ready to work constructively with the EU on a range of issues including UK association to Horizon Europe.

Innovation and Research: EU Countries

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to collaborate on research and innovation projects with EU countries.

George Freeman: The Government continues to be ready to work constructively with the EU and EU Member States on a range of issues including UK association to Horizon Europe. Most recently, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I met with the EU Ambassador to the UK on 14 March to discuss collaboration on science and research, including the Horizon Europe programme. The EU have not yet made any proposals to address the financial terms of UK association, given we are now over 2 years into a 7-year programme.

Spaceflight

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she will take with the (a) Secretary of State for Defence, (b) Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and (c) Secretary of State for Business and Trade to deliver the National Space Strategy.

George Freeman: The delivery of our National Space Strategy is a whole-of-government effort, co-ordinated through the National Space Board jointly chaired by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and the Ministry of Defence. The Government will soon publish the next steps it will take to deliver the National Space Strategy, develop the policy which needs to underpin it, and the concrete action the Government is taking now to support the sector.

Spaceflight: Staff

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to increase the level of (a) skills and (b) workforces in the industrial space sector.

George Freeman: In the 2021 to 2022 school year, the UK Space Agency’s funding delivered over 1.5M interactions between young people and space sector professionals, and the Space Placements in Industry programme has seen over 400 university students undertake placements with space employers, with 60% progressing into space careers. We will invest up to £15 million in the UK Space Agency’s Inspiration programme over this spending period to address the skills gap and inspire the next generation. This funding will improve access to the skilled people that the sector needs, signpost the accessibility of space careers to professionals in other sectors, and ensure that professionals can access relevant training. The space sector continues to benefit from broader STEM careers support delivered by UK Research & Innovation.

Spaceflight

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to help ensure that businesses in the space sector can engage with her Department in delivery of the National Space Strategy.

George Freeman: The Government has made good progress delivering against every element of the National Space Strategy 10 Point Plan, which set out our initial focus areas. We will soon publish the next steps we are taking to: deliver the National Space Strategy, develop the policy which needs to underpin it, and the concrete action we are taking now to support the sector. The Department regularly engages with businesses in the space sector that are crucial to delivering investment and sector growth.

Virgin Orbit

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for UK space sector of the decision of Virgin Orbit to pause all operations and furlough staff.

George Freeman: Virgin Orbit’s decision to pause operations is a commercial matter for the company. As the company has no permanent staff based in the UK, no UK employees will be affected. Spaceport Cornwall have also confirmed that no jobs will be affected by the announcement. The UK Space Agency is working with Virgin Orbit to understand next steps, as well as any potential effects on the UK supply chain. The outlook for the UK space sector is very positive. There is significant space launch activity underway in Scotland, with two new spaceports (SaxaVord and Sutherland) anticipating launches in due course. There is also a diverse range of activity beyond launch across the UK space sector, for example in satellite manufacturing, telecommunications, and Earth Observation, which continues to grow rapidly.

Social Media: Age

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to reports by the Reuters news agency on 6 March 2023, if she will publish the data gathered by Ofcom for the number of (a) Snapchat, (b) TikTok, (c) Instagram, (d) Youtube, (e) Twitter, (f) Facebook, (g) Twitch, (h) WhatsApp, (i) Reddit, (j) Discord, and (k) Tumblr accounts belonging to suspected underage users in the UK that were blocked by each of those social media companies in the twelve months up to April 2022.

Paul Scully: Decisions on publishing the data it holds are a matter for Ofcom as the independent regulator for video-sharing platforms in the UK. Ofcom maintains a list of currently notified services under the video-sharing platform regime which can be found here.In October 2022, Ofcom published a report on its first year of video-sharing platform regulation. It is accessible here.The Online Safety Bill will require providers to take steps to ensure that only users who are old enough are able to access services which have age restrictions or risk causing them harm. Providers which have age restrictions will need to specify in their terms of service what measures they use to prevent underage access and apply these terms consistently.

Social Media: Artificial Intelligence

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2023 to Question 125342, whether the Online Safety Bill includes measures to help prevent the use of coding algorithms that may lead to increased racial stereotyping.

Paul Scully: Under the Online Safety Bill, all platforms will need to undertake risk assessments for illegal content, and services likely to be accessed by children will need to undertake a children’s risk assessment. This will ensure they understand the risks associated with their services, including in relation to their algorithms. They will then need to put in place proportionate systems and processes to mitigate these risks.When deciding whether it is appropriate to recommend proactive technology, the regulator must have regard to the degree of accuracy, effectiveness and lack of bias achieved by the technology in question. This will help ensure that companies do not use algorithms that may lead to increased racial stereotyping when using proactive technologies to fulfil their safety duties.More broadly, the Office for AI is working at pace to develop a White Paper setting out our position on governing and regulating AI to ensure the UK is seizing the opportunity presented by AI whilst addressing the potential risks the technology presents. This approach will establish a framework based on a set of cross-cutting principles to inform how regulators should tackle risks arising from issues such as racial bias in AI decision making. We will work with regulators such as EHRC to explore the practical implementation of our proposed AI regulatory framework alongside regulators’ existing duties.The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation’s work programme on Responsible Data Access includes a focus on helping organisations to obtain appropriate access to demographic data to assess potential risks of bias related to ethnicity and other demographic traits. This work follows the CDEI’s 2020 review into bias in algorithmic decision-making, which highlighted a range of legal, reputational, and practical barriers to accessing this data.

Emergencies: Energy Supply

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will take steps to expand Ofcom's definition of emergency organisation to include the national power cut and electricity network safety service.

Julia Lopez: The three digit number “105” is already provided free-of-charge by the UK's six Distribution Network Operators (DNOs), so it is easy for customers to report a power outage or an electricity network safety issue.To modify “105” to have the same qualities as an emergency number (including call prioritisation and roaming) yet not directed to the emergency service answer points would also be technologically difficult as it would require changes to underlying networks and handset functionality to enable them to distinguish the additional type of call (emergency, non-emergency, power cut), which would require international standards agreement.Any steps to reclassify “105” as an emergency service would need to be driven by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and require thorough consultation with the telecommunications sector, Ofcom, Ofgem, and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Local Press: Government Assistance

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to provide financial support to local newspapers.

Julia Lopez: The Government is committed to supporting local and regional newspapers as vital pillars of communities and local democracy. They play an essential role in holding power to account, keeping the public informed of local issues and providing reliable, high-quality information.However, as the independent Cairncross Review into the future of journalism identified, society is increasingly moving online and local news publishers are facing significant challenges in transitioning to sustainable digital business models.The Government supported the majority of Cairncross recommendations and has taken them forward through a range of fiscal and regulatory interventions. With regard to financial support, this has included the delivery of the £2 million Future News Fund; the zero rating of VAT on e-newspapers; and the extension of a 2017 business rates relief on local newspaper office space until 2025. The BBC also supports the sector, through the £8m it spends each year on the Local News Partnership, including the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme. The Government was pleased to see the BBC conduct a thorough review of this initiative in 2020, as recommended by the Cairncross Review. As set out in our response to the Review, we would support any efforts by the BBC to grow the scheme.

Local Broadcasting: Television

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when the Government will make its decision on the renewal of local television licensing.

Julia Lopez: The Government recognises the important contribution and impact that local TV services make to our broadcasting ecosystem and for those across the UK, particularly in their role disseminating relevant news and engaging with local communities.In the Broadcasting White Paper (April 2022), we announced our intention to make changes to the local TV licensing regime to enable the renewal of the local TV multiplex licence until 2034 and subject to the same conditions (including revocation power) that apply to the national multiplexes.The Government also committed to consulting on the detailed arrangements for the renewal of the multiplex licence and conditions for renewal. The Government will publish that consultation in due course. We will consult on options for the renewal or relicensing of individual local TV services at the same time.

Television Channels: Competition

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on (a) the timing of and (b) the terms of reference for the review of the TV Distribution market, announced in the 2022 Broadcasting white paper.

Julia Lopez: The Secretary of State and I meet representatives of Ofcom regularly to discuss a range of issues relating to broadcasting, as do officials from my Department.The findings of Ofcom’s review of market changes referred to in the Broadcasting White Paper will form part of our evidence base for future long term decisions for the period after 2034. My officials continue to work with Ofcom to suggest areas of potential focus for the review.As set out in the Broadcasting White Paper, the Government has asked Ofcom to publish the findings of their review before the end of 2025.

Civil Society: Government Assistance

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how she intends to target her Department’s package of support for charities and community organisations in England, as announced in the Budget on 15 March 2023.

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what timeframe she expects to deliver his Department’s package of support for charities and community organisations in England, as announced in the Budget on 15 March 2023.

Stuart Andrew: As announced in the recent Spring Budget, the Government will provide over £100 million of support for charities and community organisations in England. This will be targeted towards those organisations most at risk, due to increased demand from vulnerable groups and higher delivery costs, as well as providing investment in energy efficiency.Work is underway to finalise the delivery time frame and eligibility criteria. Further details will be announced as soon as possible.

Football: Sportsgrounds

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she is taking steps to increase the transparency of football club investigations into fan safety; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of mandating the publication of investigation recommendations such as that regarding the match between Sheffield Wednesday and Newcastle United on 7 January 2023.

Stuart Andrew: The safety of spectators at sporting events is of the highest importance to His Majesty’s Government and we will continue to work closely with all relevant authorities to ensure that football fans can continue to enjoy the sport whilst attending matches safely.Local authorities issue safety certificates for relevant football stadia within their boundaries, and are responsible for local engagement and assessment. Sheffield City Council convened a Safety Advisory Group (SAG) meeting following the concerns raised by Newcastle United supporters who attended the FA Cup third round tie at Hillsborough Stadium on 7th January 2023. The minutes from the SAG meeting have been published and Sheffield City Council have taken action to address the safety concerns that were raised.

Music Venues: Finance

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential benefits of a ticket levy on large music events and arenas to support grassroots music.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to extend social investment tax relief to grassroots music venues.

Julia Lopez: The Government is committed to supporting our grassroots music venues, which are the lifeblood and research and development centres of our world-leading music sector.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is in regular discussions with all parts of the music industry, including live venues at every level. We work with industry and across Government to improve the sector's economic resilience to future economic shocks, as we did through the pandemic, and the recent Energy Bills Support Scheme.We will continue to engage with the sector on the impact of current pressures. As part of this engagement, Minister Lopez is meeting Music Venues Trust shortly to discuss issues facing the live music sector, and how to support growth of the music sector and wider Creative Industries.The Creative Industries have been identified by this Government as a priority growth sector. We will shortly be publishing a Creative Industries Sector Vision that will set out our ambitions, shared with industry, to support all parts of the creative sector to 2030. We look forward to working with the music industry to deliver on these objectives.

Radio: Music

Lee Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing age restrictions on music played by radio stations.

Julia Lopez: There are rules in place to protect under-eighteens in relation to programme scheduling and content, as well as to protect the public generally in relation to harmful and / or offensive material. These are set out in the Broadcasting Code, which is published by Ofcom in its role as the independent regulator with responsibility for broadcast content and standards. Ofcom also publishes guidance to broadcasters in relation to offensive language, including with regard to lyrics in music tracks, and takes enforcement action, where appropriate, to deal with breaches.The Government has no plans to introduce additional regulatory burdens on radio stations.

BBC Radio: Local Broadcasting

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the BBC on extending local content on BBC Local Radio.

Julia Lopez: The Government recognises the important role that the BBC’s local radio services play in terms of the provision of local news and information, and of community engagement in the local area.The BBC is operationally and editorially independent from the Government as set out in its Royal Charter, and decisions on service delivery are a matter for the BBC. However, we are disappointed that the BBC is planning to reduce parts of its local radio output. In the Department’s regular conversations with the BBC, we have been clear that it must make sure it continues to provide distinctive and genuinely local radio services, with content that reflects and represents people and communities from all corners of the UK.The Government also expects Ofcom, as regulator of the BBC, to ensure the BBC is robustly held to account in delivering its public service duties. The Government has already asked Ofcom about how they are considering this issue, and Ofcom has now set out its assessment of the market impact of the BBC’s proposals. I understand that Ofcom is continuing discussions with the BBC on the impact of its proposals on audiences.

British Film Institute: Expenditure

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much the British Film Institute has spent in each region in each of the last three years.

Julia Lopez: At the heart of the British Film Institute’s ten year strategy, Screen Culture 2033, is a core principle for the work of the BFI to reach across the UK, so that everyone across the regions and all four nations can experience, create and benefit from screen culture.The below table has been extracted from data that government publishes on identifiable expenditure in the regions and nations of the UK.It shows all expenditure in 2021/22 prices, to provide a more accurate picture accounting for inflation.BFI Country and Region Spend 2019-2022; 2021-22 pricesCountry/Region2019-202020-212021-22TotalScotland£1,629,000£2,132,000£2,049,000£5,810,000Wales£971,000£1,271,000£1,108,000£3,350,000Northern Ireland£5,076,000£5,029,000£6,565,000£16,670,000England - North East£802,000£1,284,000£889,000£2,975,000England - North West£2,234,000£4,162,000£2,675,000£9,071,000England - Yorkshire and the Humber£1,730,000£5,147,000£2,706,000£9,583,000England - East Midlands£1,560,000£6,522,000£1,727,000£9,809,000England - West Midlands£1,959,000£4,380,000£2,454,000£8,793,000England - East£6,200,000£15,438,000£6,944,000£28,582,000England - London£10,155,000£21,422,000£13,668,000£45,245,000England - South East£3,607,000£7,781,000£5,365,000£16,840,000England - South West£1,793,000£6,181,000£2,633,000£10,607,000Outside UK£971,000£1,330,000£1,006,000£3,307,000Total£38,687,000£82,169,000£49,786,000£170,642,000 Whilst BFI spending in London and the South East accounts for almost 36% of its total spending over 2019-22, this is due in part to the relatively high proportion of the industry based in London and the South East (70%) and also, due to the established method of recording awards based on applicant postcode, does not capture the broader outputs and widespread impact of organisations based in London and the South East but delivering on a regional or UK-wide basis.For example, BFI National Lottery distribution awards - such as the award which supported Parasite to reach 1.6 million people across the UK - are used to give audiences everywhere the chance to enjoy the widest possible range of films; overall, titles supported by distribution awards have generated 4.5 million admissions across every corner of the UK over the course of 2017-2022. The Light Cinema Co. received £3 million from the Culture Recovery Fund and, whilst its head office is in London, the award was used to support its 10 cinemas, 7 of which are in the North of England. And ‘Into Film’, a London-based organisation who received £24 million from the BFI over 2017-2022, used this funding to deliver Film Clubs in UK schools, reaching in the last year alone more than 3 million children at over 6,500 schools across the UK. Through its National Lottery Funding Plan, the BFI will be devolving even more funding to organisations across the regions and nations through its National Lottery Skills Clusters Fund, which will invest £9 million in 6-7 clusters across the UK to lead on skills and training in their area, making sure people from a wide range of places have the opportunity to get into the industry. The BFI also funds a network of organisations across the UK - including in Nottingham, Birmingham, Sheffield and Manchester - to lead audience and talent development work in their respective regions and nations, with £15.2 million to be awarded to 11 partner organisations over the next three years.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Cuba: NATO and Ukraine

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Cuban counterpart on the (a) causes of the war in Ukraine and (b) NATO policies.

David Rutley: British Embassy officials met Cuban Government officials on 21 February to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine prior to the United Nations General Assembly's emergency special session on Ukraine on 23 February. The resolution was adopted with 141 votes in favour, 7 against, and 32 abstentions, including Cuba. There have been no discussions with Cuba on NATO policies.

Ethiopia: Humanitarian Aid

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with local organisations in Ethiopia to reach the people in need of food assistance since October 2022.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Ethiopia is projected to have the world's largest humanitarian caseload in 2023, with the UN estimating that 28.6 million people will be in need of assistance. In January, I [Minister Mitchell] announced support that will improve access to food or nutrition supplies for 600,000 people. On 21 March I met with Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke and finance Minister Shide and discussed the enormous levels of humanitarian need and the UK's humanitarian support to Ethiopia.No UK funding goes directly to local Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Ethiopia; however, in calendar year 2022, the UK provided £7.6 million to the pooled Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund (EHF) to support a range of international and local NGOs. As a donor to the EHF, the UK has encouraged the localisation agenda. In 2022, EHF funding to local NGOs - directly and through subgrants - amounted to $26.5 million (£21 million) an increase of 36% from 2021.

Freeports: Northern Ireland

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Windsor Framework will allow freeports to be set up in Northern Ireland.

Leo Docherty: We are committed to extending the benefits of our Freeports programme across the UK and to working with stakeholders from sectors and places across Northern Ireland on how best to do so. Of course we need to see a restored Northern Ireland Executive before those discussions can be progressed further, similar to our engagements with Scottish and Welsh governments on proposals there.

EU Law: Northern Ireland

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many new EU laws and decisions have been applied in Northern Ireland since the start of the operation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Leo Docherty: We have been notified of around 250 amended or replaced EU goods regulations and directives under Article 13(3) since the old Protocol came into effect, for which there was no choice but to apply them automatically. Under the Windsor Framework, as EU goods rules are amended or replaced in the future, we have the powerful new democratic safeguard provided by the Stormont Brake. This ends the automatic presumption of dynamic alignment on goods and addresses the democratic deficit, giving the Stormont institutions a powerful role in the decision on whether significant new goods rules impacting on everyday life in Northern Ireland should be applied.

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2023 to Question 155046 on UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland, how the transit procedure which will allow goods to travel from Wales to Northern Ireland through the Republic of Ireland using the green lane will operate; whether goods arriving in the Republic of Ireland from Wales which are destined for Northern Ireland will be subject to the same degree of checks as those which go directly from Great Britain to Northern Ireland; and which part of the Windsor Framework provides for that transit procedure.

Leo Docherty: We have delivered a new Green Lane which means that goods staying in the UK will be freed of unnecessary paperwork, checks and duties when they move into Northern Ireland. The Green Lane is open to all UK businesses where they import or sell goods that are not ultimately destined for the EU market. This will include goods travelling from Wales to Northern Ireland through the Republic of Ireland using the transit procedure, as the processes otherwise applied for goods imported into the Republic of Ireland are a matter for the Irish Government. Following EU exit, the UK successfully negotiated membership of the Common Transit Convention. This is already part of domestic UK law by the Customs Procedures (EU Exit) Regulations 2018. There is already guidance on the use of transit procedures on Gov.uk, and as we bring the new green lane on stream we will set out further guidance on how those arrangements operate.

Marine Environment: Treaties

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans that the UK will ratify the UN High Seas Treaty; and what steps he is taking to encourage global partners to do so.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Draft text for an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction - the BBNJ Agreement - was agreed on 5 March. It will be adopted by the Intergovernmental Conference at a further meeting, later this year. This is a landmark agreement for biodiversity and will mean much greater protection for over 60% of the global ocean.The UK will work to ratify the Agreement as soon as possible, and work with global partners to ensure it is implemented quickly and effectively.

Marine Environment: Treaties

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans that the UK will ratify the UN High Seas Treaty; and what steps he is taking to encourage global partners to do so.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Draft text for an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction - the BBNJ Agreement - was agreed on 5 March. It will be adopted by the Intergovernmental Conference at a further meeting, later this year. This is a landmark agreement for biodiversity and will mean much greater protection for over 60% of the global ocean.The UK will work to ratify the Agreement as soon as possible, and work with global partners to ensure it is implemented quickly and effectively.

Commonwealth: Foreign Relations

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish the minutes of his bilateral meetings with the Foreign Ministers of (a) Rwanda, (b) Ghana, (c) Nigeria and (d) Kenya at the 22nd Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting on 15 March 2023.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Foreign Secretary had constructive discussions with many of his counterparts from the Commonwealth during the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting on 15 March 2023, covering a wide range of bilateral and multilateral issues. The Foreign Secretary looks forward to working with them and other member states as part of the Commonwealth family, particularly on areas where the Commonwealth can deliver tangible benefits for its members, namely strengthening intra-Commonwealth trade, building resilience to climate change and promoting democracy and good governance.

Myanmar: Armed Forces

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken recent steps to help prevent the supply of aviation fuel to the Myanmar military.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: On 31 January the UK sanctioned two companies and two individuals responsible for supplying the military regime with aviation fuel. We have also updated our Overseas Business Risk Guidance to make it clear UK businesses should conduct thorough supply-chain due diligence to ensure commodities, such as aviation fuel, do not reach the Myanmar military. The UK is committed to targeted sanctions which impose a cost on those profiting from, or supporting, the regime's campaign of violence against the civilian population.

Southern Africa: Storms

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the Governments of (a) Malawi, (b) Mozambique, (c) Madagascar and (d) Zimbabwe with the impact of Cyclone Freddy.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is working closely with the Governments of Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar and Zimbabwe to respond to Cyclone Freddy. In Malawi, we are supporting the Emergency Operations Centre established in Blantyre and looking at options for further UK support, including to help those still stranded, to help manage trauma cases and to extend our support to tackle the ongoing cholera outbreak. In Mozambique, we are providing shelter and dignity kits for up to 30,000 people and providing extra funding to reduce the cholera risk. The UK-supported START Fund provided £700,000 of additional funding to partner organisations in Madagascar and up to £144,0000 in Zimbabwe in response to Cyclone Freddy. Support includes strengthening shelters, cash distributions and assistance on healthcare.

East Africa: Development Aid

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what specific commitments his Department will make to funding sustainable farming projects in East Africa following the Government’s commitment in the Integrated Review Refresh to drive the shift to sustainable agriculture.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK continues to support new financing from the World Bank and African Development Bank (AfDB) to address food security, including through enhancing sustainable agriculture. We have championed the AfDB's Climate Action Window (CAW) and are providing £200 million to help vulnerable countries adapt to climate change including by developing more sustainable and resilient food production. We will continue to share the UK's scientific expertise to increase innovation and agricultural productivity. We have demonstrated leadership through the COP process, including on the Agriculture Breakthrough Goal to make climate resilient, sustainable agriculture technology affordable and accessible for farmers everywhere by 2030.

Tunisia: Political Prisoners

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Tunisian counterpart on the detention of Said Ferjani; and if he will take steps with international counterparts to request the release of all political prisoners in that country.

David Rutley: Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for North Africa, raised the recent wave of arrests directly with Tunisian Chargé d'Affaires on 23 February, underlining the importance of due legal process and respect for freedom of expression and association. His Majesty's Ambassador to Tunisia also raised UK concerns regarding the arrests with Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar on 23 February. Officials and Ministers have regular discussions with the Tunisian authorities and international counterparts to reiterate the UK's belief in the importance of space for legitimate political opposition, civil society, strengthening human rights and including all voices in building resilient and successful democracies. We will continue to engage the Tunisian authorities on these issues.

Cabinet Office

Emigration

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the number of UK citizens that emigrated to (a) Australia, (b) New Zealand, (c) the US and (d) Canada in the last 12 months.

Alex Burghart: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon. Member's Parliamentary Question of 16 March is attached. ONS Response (pdf, 107.0KB)

Pensioners: Employment

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of people above State Pension Age who have returned to employment after having previously retired since November 2021.

Alex Burghart: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentlemen’s Parliamentary Question of 21/03 is attached ONS response (pdf, 109.2KB)

Public Sector: Staff

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff have transferred to contractors under TUPE regulations since 2010.

Alex Burghart: Information on the number of individuals that have transferred under TUPE regulations to an organisation under contract with the Cabinet Office is not held.

Government Departments: Contracts

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has any record of public contracts being awarded to suppliers on the UK Sanctions List between 1 January 2021 and 31 January 2023.

Alex Burghart: Details of all suppliers excluded from the procurement process are included in the Contract Award Report, which is approved and signed off by Cabinet Office Commercial. No central record of these exclusions is held by the Cabinet Office, and in order to confirm the details of suppliers excluded from any procurement would mean checking each Contract Award Report approved and signed off between 1 January 2021 and 31 January 2023. The UK imposes a range of sanctions against individuals or organisations that pose a threat to our country or its interests. Alongside procurement exclusions, these include asset freezes, travel bans, trade sanctions and transport sanctions.

Public Sector: Contracts

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) private companies and (b) community and voluntary sector organisations are contracted to provide public services.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people are employed by (a) private companies and (b) community and voluntary sector organisations contracted to deliver public services.

Alex Burghart: This information is not held centrallyDetails of Government contracts above £10,000, and £25,000 in the wider public sector, are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Cabinet Office: Procurement

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many suppliers the Department excluded from procurement on the grounds of (a) fraud, (b) corruption and (c) any other grounds under the Public Contract Regulations 2015 between 2015 and 2022.

Alex Burghart: The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. To obtain the information a manual search through individual records would be required as this is not recorded centrally on departmental systems.The grounds for the exclusion of bidders from public procurement procedures are set out in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. These rules set out the circumstances in which bidders must, or may, be excluded from a public procurement process.The Procurement Bill brought forward by this Conservative Government, currently being considered by Parliament, expands the scope of misconduct which can lead to exclusion. We are also increasing the time period within which misconduct can lead to exclusion from 3 years to 5; bringing subsidiary companies into scope of exclusion; and making the rules clearer so that contracting authorities can undertake exclusions with more confidence

Emergencies: Warnings

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he has taken to ensure that Emergency Alerts reach people who (a) are digitally excluded and (b) do not have smart phones.

Jeremy Quin: The emergency alerts system is an additional tool that supplements the Government’s warning and informing systems for use in emergencies. Alerts work on all 4G and 5G phone networks in the UK. Those without a compatible device would still be informed about an emergency through other accessible channels including television, radio and print media. Any live emergency alerts will also be uploaded to view on the www.gov.uk/alerts webpage.Emergency alerts do not replace any other form of warning tools available to the government. They are an additional tool in our national resilience toolbox to keep the public safe.

Emergencies: Planning

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the UK National Resilience Framework, published on 19 December 2022, when he plans to make the first annual statement to Parliament on civil contingencies risk and the UK Government’s performance on resilience.

Jeremy Quin: As set out in the action plan for implementation, the annual statement on resilience will be established by 2025, although our intention is to make a first statement within the next year.

G20 and G7: Departmental Responsibilities

Darren Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Department has overall responsibility for the UK Government's representation at the G7 and G20.

Jeremy Quin: Ministers across HM Government represent the UK at G7 and G20 ministerial meetings, in line with relevant areas of policy responsibility. The Prime Minister represents the UK at the G7 and G20 Summits, preparation for which is led by the Cabinet Office with the support of other relevant Departments.

Emergencies: Planning

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the UK Government Resilience Framework, published on 19 December 2022, what his planned timetable is for delivering the UK Resilience Academy.

Jeremy Quin: The UK Resilience Academy is set to be launched for all those with a role in resilience by 2025. Planning began in early 2023 with Departments, Devolved Administrations, national colleges, academia, and local resilience stakeholders to inform the scope of the Academy.

Emergencies: Planning

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the UK Government Resilience Framework, published on 19 December 2022, on what date the National Security Council sub-committee on resilience plans to hold its first meeting.

Jeremy Quin: My colleague, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, confirmed in the House last week that he has now chaired the first meeting of the National Security Council (Resilience).

Emergencies: Planning

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the UK Government Resilience Framework, published on 19 December 2022, what estimate he has made of when a new Head of Resilience will be appointed.

Jeremy Quin: The Framework committed the Government to appointing a Head of Resilience to provide systematic leadership of the Government’s programme to strengthen national resilience. The current role of the Resilience Director in the Cabinet Office will evolve into the Head of Resilience role. We are currently undertaking a review of responsibilities and accountabilities across Lead Government Departments, which includes detailed consideration of the role of the Head of Resilience.

Department of Health and Social Care

Prescriptions: Disability and Older People

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to charge (a) the elderly and (b) people with disabilities for NHS prescriptions.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Integrated Care Boards: Patients

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to (a) review and (b) increase the number of patient representatives included on Integrated Care Boards.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Obesity: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the prevalence of obesity in children (a) nationally and (b) in York.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to screen children to identify those at risk of obesity.

Neil O'Brien: The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) collects data on children aged four to five years old in Reception and 10 to 11 years old in Year 6. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities publishes national and local level data on Fingertips. For children aged four to five years old, the prevalence of obesity in England was 10.1% and 8.9% in York in the academic year 2021/22. For children aged 10-11 years old the prevalence of obesity in England was 23.4% and 18.9% in York in the academic year 2021/22.NCMP is a surveillance programme providing trend data on childhood weight status. It is not a screening programme. However, local authorities can choose to notify parents of their children’s measurements. When a child is identified as living with obesity, a tailored feedback letter provides a parent with information about local healthy lifestyle and child weight management services available. They may also be invited to contact the school nursing team to discuss their child’s growth and support available.

Dentistry: Registration and Training

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's response to the consultation entitled Changes to the General Dental Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council's international registration legislation, updated on 28 November 2022, what progress he has made on reducing the amount of time international dentists have to wait to (a) sit exams and (b) become professionally registered.

Neil O'Brien: The Department has worked with the General Dental Council (GDC) to develop legislative changes which allow the regulator greater flexibility to amend its existing international registration processes and explore alternative registration pathways as it considers appropriate. The legislative changes came into force on 8 March 2023. It is for the GDC, as an independent regulator, to decide how best to use the flexibility that these changes allow. We understand that the GDC will consult on changes to how the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) operates during summer 2023, which will enable it to increase the number of dentists it can assess, potentially allowing overseas dentists to join its register more quickly. The current legal framework for the ORE will remain in place until the GDC introduces new rules on the operation of the ORE 12 months after the legislation comes into force, in March 2024. This will allow the GDC time to consult on and finalise its approach in response to feedback from stakeholders.

Blood: Ethnic Groups

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage people from ethnic minority backgrounds to donate blood.

Neil O'Brien: The Department works with NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) as it continues its work towards recruiting and retaining more blood donors from ethnic minority backgrounds. Diversifying the donor base is a key priority for NHSBT, to address health disparities and ensure patients from all backgrounds can receive the best matched blood.Work to increase the supply of Ro Kell negative blood type includes increased investment into targeted marketing and engagement. NHSBT launched its “Not Family but Blood” campaign in October 2022, aimed at recruiting more black heritage blood donors.In addition, the Community Grants Programme funds community and faith/belief organisations to drive awareness, understanding and behaviour change around donation. In the Programme’s latest round, £440,000, including £40,000 from Anthony Nolan, was invested to support 39 organisations to raise awareness of organ, blood, and stem cell donation.

Dental Services: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will allocate NHSE dentistry budget underspend to Integrated Care Boards in 2023-24 for the provision of NHS dental services for children.

Neil O'Brien: NHS England is responsible for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population. Many of these functions will transfer to integrated care boards (ICBs) from April 2023.We have assessed the merits of ringfencing National Health Service dental funding provisions. NHS England has provided guidance for ICBs that requires dental funding to be ringfenced, with any unused resources re-directed to improve NHS dental access in the first instance. A schedule setting out the dental ringfence has been issued to ICBs. NHS England’s 2023/24 revenue finance and contracting guidance, which provides more detail, is available via the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2023-24-revenue-finance-and-contracting-guidance/

Employment Schemes: Disability

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish further details on the expansion of the Individual Placement and Support scheme in England announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Spring Budget 2023.

Maria Caulfield: As set out in the Budget, the Government will further embed tailored employment support within mental health services in England, by expanding the Individual Placement and Support scheme. Further information will be made available in due course.

Paediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome: Children

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he (a) has had and (b) plans to have discussions with NHS England on ensuring the (i) adequacy and (ii) consistency of treatment pathways for children living with (A) PANS and (B) PANDAS; and what steps he is taking to ensure that children living with (1) PANS and (2) PANDAS and their parents receive adequate (x) information and (y) support to take informed decisions on care pathway options.

Maria Caulfield: No such discussions with NHS England have taken place or are planned at present. Should the evidence base develop further, clinical policy may be updated by relevant organisations such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. NHS England would then consider the development of care pathways for those living with PANS and PANDAS. In the meantime, integrated care systems are responsible for planning care for their populations.

Menopause: Health Services

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what investment his Department is making in menopause support services.

Maria Caulfield: The Government is investing an additional £3.3 billion in 2023/24 and 2024/25 to support the National Health Service in England. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their local population including for women experiencing the menopause.The Government is introducing a new Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) prescription prepayment certificate from 1 April 2023 to reduce the cost of HRT for women experiencing the menopause.The NHS England National Menopause Care Improvement Programme is working to improve clinical menopause care in England and reduce disparities in access to treatment. The NHS is also developing an education and training package on menopause for healthcare professionals.

Mental Health Services: Asylum

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of referrals there have been to (a) GPs and (b) mental health specialists citing the asylum process as contributing to mental ill health in the last 12 months.

Maria Caulfield: This information is not collected and therefore no estimate will be made.

Maternity Disparities Taskforce

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will outline the timetable for the next meeting of the Maternal Disparities Taskforce.

Maria Caulfield: The Maternity Disparities Taskforce was established in February 2022, to tackle disparities for mothers and babies and reduce maternal and neonatal deaths. The Taskforce brings together experts from across the health system, Government departments and the voluntary sector to explore and consider evidence-based interventions to tackle maternal disparities.  The Taskforce will be meeting again shortly.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has held recent discussions with medical advisers on covid-19 vaccination roll outs; and what steps he is taking to use medical evidence to inform decisions on future vaccination roll outs.

Maria Caulfield: Each COVID-19 vaccine candidate is assessed by teams of scientists and clinicians on a case-by-case basis and is only authorised once it has met robust standards of effectiveness, safety and quality set by Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).The independent Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) is the expert body set up to provide advice on national vaccination and immunisation programmes to all four United Kingdom health departments. The JCVI considers vaccines once they are authorised by the MHRA.As set out in the Living with COVID strategy published in 2021 the Government intends to continue to be guided by JCVI advice on which groups should be offered vaccination for COVID-19 and when and to whom any booster doses should be offered.The most recent advice from JCVI on COVID-19 announced on 7 March 2023 was to offer a precautionary spring booster to those in the population most vulnerable to serious outcomes from COVID-19, including older people and those who are immunosuppressed.

NHS: Audiology

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to NHS England's 2023-24 priorities and operational planning guidance published on 27 January 2023, what estimate his Department made of the potential change in the number of people using NHS audiology services as a result of the introduction of self-referral.

Maria Caulfield: No estimate has been made of the potential change in the number of people using National Health Service audiology services due to the introduction of self-referral. The introduction of self-referral for age-related hearing loss aims to streamline access for patients eligible for NHS audiology services where a general practitioner appointment is not clinically necessary.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2023 to Question 152186 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, how many of the claims (a) awarded and (b) rejected were for people whose deaths were recorded by coroners as having been caused as a result of a Covid-19 vaccination.

Maria Caulfield: As of 23 February 2023, of the 48 awarded claims relating to the COVID-19 vaccine, 23 were claims made on behalf of a deceased person, and in all cases the deaths were recorded by coroners as having been caused by a COVID-19 vaccination. Of the 890 rejected claims, 52 were made on behalf of a deceased person and in no cases were the deaths recorded by a coroner as having been caused by a COVID-19 vaccination.

Eating Disorders: Hospital Beds

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many child eating disorder beds there were in the NHS in each year since 2010.

Maria Caulfield: The data in the following table, collected from NHS England, provides the number of National Health Service-commissioned inpatient beds for Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) eating disorder services. It is important to note that NHS England does not hold reliable data for 2016 and prior. Bed numbers can vary throughout the year as units close and new ones open. These figures therefore are the average number of beds across the year. ServiceCAMHS2017/20182162018/20192212019/20202492020/20212362021/20222302022/2023256

Dental Services: Staff

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish a dentistry workforce plan which sets out the number of full time equivalent people working in each dental profession role.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish a dentistry workforce plan.

Will Quince: The Government has committed to publishing the National Health Service Long Term Workforce Plan, which will include projections for the number of doctors, nurses and other professionals that will be needed in five, 10 and 15 years’ time. This plan will be published shortly and will include the dentistry workforce.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Dean Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what NHS mental health support is in place for young people.

Dean Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on increasing the number of mental health support teams in schools.

Maria Caulfield: It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local populations. We are supporting them to expand mental health services through the NHS Long Term Plan, which commits to increasing investment into mental health services by at least £2.3 billion a year by 2023/2024 compared to 2018/2019. Part of this increased investment will enable an additional 345,000 children and young people aged between 0-25 years of age to access National Health Service-funded mental health services and mental health support teams in schools and colleges. Spend for children and young people’s mental health services has increased from £841.4 million in 2019/2020 to £994.8 million in 2021/2022, with a planned spend of £1.0815 billion in 2022/2023. This funding is across both NHS specialised commissioning and local commissioning. The source of this data is the NHS England dashboard, which is published quarterly. Previous and most recent NHS mental health dashboards are available at the following link: www.england.nhs.uk/publication/nhs-mental-health-dashboard We are making good progress on expanding access year on year, as the number of children and young people aged under 18 supported through NHS-funded mental health services, with at least one contact with services, was 689,621 in the year up to July 2022 compared to 618,537 in the year up to July 2021. As of spring 2022, there were 287 mental health support teams in place in around 4,700 schools and colleges across the country, offering support to children experiencing anxiety, depression, and other common mental health issues. Mental health support teams now cover 26% of pupils, a year earlier than originally planned. By next month we except this to have increased to 399 teams, covering around 35% of pupils.

Care Workers: Car Allowances

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will offer financial support to local authorities to help social care providers increase the mileage allowance paid to care workers.

Helen Whately: The Government is making available up to £7.5 billion over two years to support adult social care and discharge. Local authorities, who work with care providers to determine fee rates, have discretion about how to use this historic increase in funding to best address the pressures in their local areas.

Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Organ and Tissue Donation) Bill

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of the delay in the Organ and Tissue Donation (Deemed Consent) Bill on organ donation and transplantation in Northern Ireland.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made.

Smoking

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it remains his Department's policy to have a national target to be smokefree by 2030.

Neil O'Brien: It remains the Department’s policy to have a national target to be Smokefree by 2030. In the coming weeks, the Government will unveil a set of proposals to realise the Smokefree ambition and respond to the recommendations in the Khan Review.

Department for Business and Trade

Conditions of Employment and Environment Protection

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a human rights and environmental due diligence law to increase protection for (a) environmental and (b) workers' rights.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government both encourages and supports the mostly voluntary, business-led, approach to due diligence; as set out in international frameworks such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises. Additionally, the Environment Act has introduced world-leading due diligence legislation, in order to tackle illegal deforestation in UK supply chains.

British Patient Capital

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions she has had with (a) British Patient Capital and (b) The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on the investment of British Patient Capital in the five critical technologies identified in the Science and Technology Framework.

Kevin Hollinrake: There are regular discussions between relevant ministers, officials and British Patient Capital (BPC) on supporting research and development (R&D)-intensive companies, including those in the five technologies identified in the Science and Technology Framework. BPC’s Core programme disproportionately supports R&D-intensive companies. 11% of firms receiving BPC-backed investment are academic spinouts, compared to 2% of all equity-backed companies. 92% of companies surveyed for an external evaluation of BPC used the investment they received to fund R&D activities. BPC’s Future Fund: Breakthrough programme has directly invested £101m into fifteen companies. At Spring Budget 2023, it was announced that BPC would increase its focus on R&D-intensive industries.

Treasury

Treasury: Written Questions

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to Question 165453 tabled by the hon. Member for Ealing North on 14th March 2023.

Victoria Atkins: PQ UIN 165453 has now been answered.

Research: Tax Allowances

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 4.52 of the Spring Budget Report 2023, HC1183, published on 15 March 2023, what estimate his Department has made of the potential impact of the postponement of restrictions on overseas R&D tax reliefs expenditure on R&D investment in the financial years (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24.

Victoria Atkins: The previously announced restriction on some overseas expenditure will now come into effect from 1 April 2024 instead of 1 April 2023. This will allow the Government to consider the interaction between this restriction and the design of a potential merged R&D relief.Overall, R&D reliefs will support an estimated £60 billion of business R&D expenditure in 2027-2028, a 50 per cent increase from £40 billion in 2020-21. Expenditure on R&D reliefs is forecast to increase in every year of the scorecard period.

Charities: Tax Allowances

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the impact of restricting charitable tax reliefs to UK charities on the number of donations to UK causes from overseas donors.

James Cartlidge: Restricting charitable tax reliefs to UK charities is not expected to have any impact on the level of donations to UK causes from overseas donors. Overseas donors will be able to continue supporting UK charities and causes in exactly the same way as they have always done.

Gift Aid

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of uptake of Gift Aid.

James Cartlidge: Information on trends in the amount of Gift Aid HMRC pays to charities is available in the Charity Tax Relief statistics at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1092066/Tables_1_and_2_-_summary.pdf.  No formal assessment of trend has been made.

Actuaries: Regulation

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason he proposes that the new Audit Regulation and Governance Authority will regulate non-public interest actuarial work.

Andrew Griffith: As set out in the Government’s May 2022 response to its White Paper consultation, Restoring trust in audit and corporate governance, the Government intends that the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority (ARGA) will regulate public interest actuarial work. These activities have the most significant adverse consequences if not carried out and completed to an appropriate standard. For non-public interest actuarial work, ARGA will have powers to set technical standards, but will not have monitoring or enforcement powers. This approach maintains the status quo in respect of non-public interest actuarial work, as the Financial Reporting Council currently sets technical actuarial standards. It will also deliver a broader strengthening of the actuarial regime, as recommended in Sir John Kingman’s independent review.

Revenue and Customs: Complaints

Alex Sobel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to increase the speed of responses to HMRC complaints.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC is committed to delivering performance improvements to complaints handling and response times for customers. HMRC are working hard to address backlogs across post receipts from customers across various channels as well as customer complaints.

Bank Services

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a minimum level of access to essential in-person banking services.

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a minimum level of access to free-of-charge cash services for small businesses.

Andrew Griffith: The way consumers and businesses interact with their banking and make payments continues to develop at pace, bringing significant benefits to those who choose to opt for the convenience, security, and speed of digital services. In recognition that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, the government is currently taking legislation through Parliament as part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill to protect access to cash. The Bill will establish the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash and provide it with appropriate powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of withdrawal and deposit facilities. These powers will allow the FCA to have regard to factors it considers appropriate, which could include cost for users. Regarding in-person banking services, the government believes that everyone, wherever they live, should have appropriate access to banking services. However, decisions on opening and closing branches, and the provision of in-person services, are a commercial issue for banks and building societies. Guidance from the FCA sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to reduce their physical branches or the number of free-to-use ATMs. The guidance has recently been strengthened and clearly expects firms to put in place alternatives, where this is reasonable, to ensure customer needs are met. Where firms fall short of expectations, the FCA may ask for closures to be paused or other options to be put in place. Alternative options to access cash and in-person banking services can be via the Post Office and other industry initiatives including cash pods, mobile banking vans and shared banking hubs. The Post Office Banking Framework allows 99% of personal banking and 95% of business customers to deposit cheques, check their balance and withdraw and deposit cash at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK. Meanwhile, industry has committed to shared banking hubs in over 40 locations across the UK to date.

Home Office

Asylum

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum caseworkers were employed by her Department in January (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of asylum caseworkers employed by her Department at the end of the (a) second, (b) third and (c) final quarter of 2023.

Robert Jenrick: The number of asylum caseworkers employed by the Home Office for each financial year between 2010/11 to 2021/22 can be found in the ASY_04 tab of the published immigration statistics located here: Immigration and protection data: Q4 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Information for the financial year ending March 2023 is not yet released.

Asylum

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the attrition rate for asylum caseworkers was in January (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.

Robert Jenrick: The latest data on the attrition rate of decision makers are not routinely published but have been released to the Home Affairs Select Committee. The response can be found here: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/31774/documents/178754/default/.  To reduce attrition rates and help maintain our decision-making experience we have implemented a recruitment and retention allowance. We have already doubled our decision makers over the last 2 years, and we are continuing to recruit more. This will take our expected number of decision makers to 1,800 by summer and 2,500 by September 2023.

Illegal Migration Bill

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the economic and equality impact assessment of the Illegal Migration Bill before the bill reaches Committee stage.

Robert Jenrick: We will publish an equality impact assessment and economic impact assessment in respect of the Illegal Migration Bill in due course.

Asylum: Housing

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of properties at Bwiza Riverside Estate, Kigali that will house (a) Rwandan citizens and (b) asylum seekers transferred from the UK.

Robert Jenrick: The Government of Rwanda is responsible for procuring accommodation in Rwanda and have the capability to expand and increase capacity as required for relocated individuals.

Undocumented Migrants: Legal Aid Scheme

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help people entering the UK by irregular means access legal (a) advice and (b) aid before they are removed.

Robert Jenrick: All migrants (with the exception of those who are removed within 7 days of refusal of leave to enter at the border) are given a notice period prior to removal allowing time for access to justice, and those detained pending removal are able to access legal aid surgeries.

Electronic Cigarettes: Imports

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of illicit vaping products that were imported in the last 12 months.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has made no estimate of the number of illicit vaping products that were imported in the last 12 months.

HM Passport Office: Labour Turnover

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the attrition rate was for passport office caseworkers in 2022.

Robert Jenrick: The attrition rate for case-working staff only is not held in a reportable format.

Nitrous Oxide: Misuse

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Nitrous oxide: updated harms assessment, published by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on 6 March 2023, what steps she plans to take to help prevent the misuse of nitrous oxide; and if she will make a statement.

Chris Philp: The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) published their report on nitrous oxide on 6 March, setting out the evidence as it currently stands and making seven recommendations.The Government will consider the ACMD advice carefully along with any other available evidence, as appropriate, and will respond in due course.

Missing Persons: Racial Discrimination

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has taken recent steps to tackle potential racial bias in missing person investigations.

Chris Philp: People that go missing include some of the most vulnerable in our society. The Government is determined that missing people and their families receive the best possible protection and support from statutory agencies, including law enforcement, Government, and the voluntary sector.The Government acknowledges that the most recent data published by the National Crime Agency, covering the period 2020-21, indicated that Black people are disproportionately affected by missing incidents: http://missingpersons.police.uk/en-gb/resources/downloads/missing-persons-statistical-bulletins. This aligns with the findings from The Ethnicity of Missing People report, which also indicates the over-representation of Black children in care in missing reports.To improve the police response to missing people from all backgrounds and address racial and ethnic disparities, the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) works with police forces across England and Wales, the charity Missing People and the NCA Missing Persons Unit to consider these issues and what action is needed.

Diplomatic Service: Protection and  Security

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of protection and security for diplomatic (a) staff, (b) families and (c) premises buildings in the UK.

Tom Tugendhat: The security and dignity of diplomatic missions in the UK, and their staff, is of utmost concern and His Majesty’s Government fully recognises our obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The right to gather lawfully and demonstrate a point of view is a basic democratic right. But rights to lawful protest do not extend to violent or threatening behaviour. Our protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. However, it is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on diplomatic security arrangements. To do so could compromise the integrity of those arrangements and affect the security of the individuals and locations concerned.

Visas: Applications

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, by what process the Home Secretary decides whether to (a) predetermine an application before a person attends a Visa Application Centre and (b) excuse the requirement to attend a Visa Application Centre to enrol their biometrics for a visa.

Robert Jenrick: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave to UIN 130066 on 30th January 2023: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament.

Slavery: Victims

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the impact the Illegal Migration Bill on victims of (a) slavery and (b) human trafficking.

Robert Jenrick: I refer the Hon. Member to my response to Question 161356 on 22 March: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Leasehold and Social Rented Housing: Service Charges

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to take steps to help tackle large increases in service charges for (a) leaseholders and (b) social housing tenants.

Felicity Buchan: We are committed to protecting leaseholders, ensuring service charges are transparent and removing barriers to challenge when things go wrong.I refer the Hon. Member to the Autumn Statement’s announcement on the cap on social rents.

Elections: Proof of Identity

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many and what proportion of Voter Authority Certificate applications in England have been rejected as of 1 March 2023.

Dehenna Davison: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 165271 on 20th March 2023.

Tenancy Deposit Schemes

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of insurance based tenancy deposit schemes.

Rachel Maclean: The Government views the tenancy deposit protection system, including the insured schemes, as broadly effective in increasing tenant confidence and protecting against the loss of deposit monies and will continue to closely monitor the performance of the schemes.

Roads: Safety

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on (a) the impact of speed limits on road safety in residential areas and (b) potential steps to increase road safety in such areas.

Dehenna Davison: As has been the case under successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed. Policy relating to road safety is primarily a matter for the Department for Transport.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Northern Ireland

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding will be allocated to organisations in Northern Ireland through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Dehenna Davison: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will act as the successor to the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund across the United Kingdom.Within Northern Ireland, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund provides £126,854,145 of new funding for local investment to March 2025. The Investment Plan details how Northern Ireland's overall allocation will be spent and the impact that we expect it to have.  Having announced our first 'green spaces' projects in February, we plan to announce the outcome of the economic inactivity competition shortly. This will represent investment of over one-third of the fund, and the Investment Plan sets out our intention to go on and support a range of other interventions, including support for local businesses, as well as communities and place packages over the period to March 2025.

Investment Zones: Ellesmere Port

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make a statement on the decision to not proceed with Ellesmere Port industrial area as an investment zone.

Dehenna Davison: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 167099 on 21st March 2023.

High Rise Flats: Battersea

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on whether a contract has been signed to start fire safety remediation work at Time House in Battersea.

Lee Rowley: Time House in Battersea is below the height eligibility threshold for the Building Safety Fund and so we do not hold information on whether the housing association has signed contracts to commence remediation of the building.

Leasehold

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to abolish the system of lease holding.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps his Department has taken to protect the rights of leaseholders.

Rachel Maclean: The Secretary of State set out, in the House, his intention to bring the 'outdated and feudal' tenure of leasehold to an end. The Government wishes to extend the benefits of freehold ownership to more homeowners.   That is why we have committed to end the sale of new leasehold houses, and to reinvigorate commonhold so it can finally be a genuine alternative to leasehold; it is why we have banned the charging of ground rent in new leases which takes away that incentive to build leasehold; and it is why we will make it easier for leaseholders to purchase the freehold of their building, and take control of their building management, by enhancing enfranchisement and the Right to Manage.

Department for Work and Pensions

Members: Correspondence

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to respond to email correspondence of 20 February 2023 from the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton.

Mims Davies: A reply to the correspondence from the hon. Member was sent on 23rd March 2023.

State Retirement Pensions: Age Addition

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in each year since 2010 for which figures are available, how many letters his Department sent to pensioners approaching the age of 80 to inform them that after they reached that age their pension would increase by 25 pence per week under the Age Addition provisions; and how much his Department has spent on (a) postage and (b) administration and paper in connection with those letters.

Laura Trott: Information is available for the last 3 years in respect of the number of BR805s letters which are issued to customers approaching 80 regarding the 25 pence weekly addition. Please see figures below: 2020 – 380,8862021 – 358,3092022 – 394,220Total - 1,133,415 This letter is issued via an automated process and therefore we are unable to provide any information on the administration costs relating to this.

Pensions: Lone Parents

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to increase the level of private pension savings among single mothers.

Laura Trott: Automatic Enrolment has increased the number of women contributing to a workplace pension. Pension participation among eligible women in the private sector was 87% in 2021, up from just 40% in 2012. We are taking steps to further increase women’s participation in workplace pensions. We remain committed to implementing the measures recommended in the 2017 review of Automatic Enrolment in the mid 2020s. These will disproportionately benefit lower earners, including people working in multiple low-paid part time jobs, who are predominantly women. We are supporting Jonathan Gullis MP’s Private Member’s Bill which passed committee stage on Wednesday 15 March, as this presents an immediate route for the legislative powers to expand the Automatic Enrolment framework in the current Parliamentary session. Changes to Universal Credit announced in the Spring Budget 2023 will support more parents into work or to increase their hours, both of which are likely to increase private pension saving. Parents can claim £300 more per month for childcare for one child or £500 for two children, and lead carers of children aged 1 to 12 will be required to attend more Work Focused Interviews, or increase their Work Related Activity hours.

Access to Work Programme: Finance

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2023 to Question 166319 on Access to Work Programme: Finance, when the earliest outstanding access to work funding application which has not been placed on hold at the request of the customer was received by his Department.

Tom Pursglove: In addition to the response to question 166319 on 20th March, we have also looked at the second and third oldest application, and both are also awaiting information from the customer, employer, and/or outcome of workplace assessment, for the case manager to proceed with the application. We currently have 7282 applications with case managers. It would be considerably resource intensive to look through all of these to identify the oldest that is not awaiting information from an external source. I can confirm that we do conduct internal checks on the older cases to ensure they are not unnecessarily delayed and that the average clearance time in February for all applications was 58 working days, with 42% of applications having a decision in 25 days. Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.

Universal Credit: Chronic Illnesses and Disability

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2023 to Question 167120 on Employment Schemes: Disability, whether (a) inactive disabled people, (b) people with health conditions and (c) people with additional barriers who are not in receipt of benefits will be eligible for Universal Support.

Tom Pursglove: Universal Support is a supported employment programme which will support inactive disabled people, people with health conditions, and people with additional barriers to employment, into sustained work. Whilst final details are to be confirmed, we expect eligibility will also include inactive people who are not in receipt of benefits. In developing Universal Support, including confirming the final eligibility criteria, the department will engage with a wide range of key stakeholders, including the representatives of local areas, employers, providers and experts in the delivery of ‘place and train’ support.

Kickstart Scheme

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to (a) conduct and (b) publish an evaluation of the longer-term outcomes for participants of the Kickstart Scheme.

Mims Davies: The Kickstart evaluation will continue to assess the longer-term outcomes for Kickstart participants after they have completed their six-month jobs. The commissioned process evaluation will conclude in Spring 2023. We aim to publish the findings of the Kickstart Scheme evaluation once complete.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

District Heating: Energy Bills Discount Scheme

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of including heat networks in the list of sectors eligible for the Energy and Trade Intensive Industries scheme.

Amanda Solloway: There will be thresholds for qualifying for the Energy and Trade Intensive Industries Energy Bill Discount Scheme (EBDS). These thresholds have been set at sectors falling above the 80th percentile for energy intensity and 60th percentile for trade intensity, plus any sectors eligible for the existing energy compensation and exemption schemes. The government does not expect heat networks to qualify for the ETII scheme. As announced at the Budget the government will instead make a separate EBDS rate available for heat networks supplying domestic customers.

Warm Home Discount Scheme: Eligibility

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the number of disabled people who were no longer eligible for the Warm Home Discount scheme following changes to eligibility criteria in winter 2022-23.

Amanda Solloway: As households previously applied through their suppliers, who set their own application processes and eligibility criteria and selected successful applicants each year, the Government has not been able to assess how many households are no longer eligible.

Energy: Hospices

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department made of the energy needs of hospices when calculating available support under the Energy Bills Discount Scheme.

Amanda Solloway: As part of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme review, the Government assessed a range of qualitative and quantitative evidence from businesses and stakeholders, including hospices, on sectors that may be most affected by rising energy prices based on energy and trade intensity. The Energy Bill Discount Scheme will run from April until March 2024, and will continue to provide a discount to eligible non-domestic customers, including hospices. The discount is applied directly to the energy bills of eligible businesses by their energy providers. The new scheme strikes a balance between supporting businesses and other non-domestic customers over the next 12 months.

Renewable Energy: Finance

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to encourage private sector funding for renewables.

Graham Stuart: The Contracts for Difference scheme is the Government’s main mechanism for supporting investment in new low-carbon electricity generation projects in Great Britain. This month we will be launching the Allocation Round 5, for which Government has set an initial budget of £205 million. Allocation rounds will now run annually to accelerate deployment and investment in renewable generation.

Heat Pumps

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department plans to take to install 600,000 heat pump installations by 2028.

Graham Stuart: The Heat and Buildings Strategy sets out a range of policies supporting the development of the heat pump market towards 600,000 installations per year by 2028. These policies include the Future Homes Standard, which will ensure new homes are built zero carbon-ready, a market-based mechanism for low-carbon heat and proposals to phase out fossil-fuel heating systems in off-gas-grid buildings. The Government is also investing £6.6 billion in this parliament, with a further £6 billion committed to 2028, in schemes that support the installation of heat pumps, including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and Home Upgrade Grant.

Hydrogen

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when his Department plans to make an annoucement on the future use of domestic hydrogen.

Graham Stuart: The Government is working closely with industry and regulators to support a range of research, development and testing projects. This includes pioneering hydrogen heating consumer trials, designed to determine the feasibility, costs and convenience of using hydrogen as an alternative to natural gas for heating. The knowledge and experience gained in delivering trials in communities, together with the results of our wider R&D and testing programme, will enable the Government to take strategic decisions in 2026 on the role of hydrogen in decarbonising heat.

Energy Company Obligation: Inflation

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the impact of inflation on the delivery of the Energy Company Obligation.

Amanda Solloway: The Government is continually monitoring delivery and developments in the ECO market, and if the Government determine that further action is required then, it will explore all options available.

Carbon Emissions

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a right of local supply that would enable community and smaller-scale low carbon generation schemes to sell directly to local people.

Graham Stuart: The right to local energy supply already exists under the Electricity Act 1989 and Ofgem has existing flexibility to award supply licences that are restricted to specified geographical areas or premises type. Energy suppliers already offer local tariffs which offer discounted prices at times when electricity is generated locally. The Government is considering what reforms are needed to the retail market regulatory framework to support the uptake of new and innovative business models by consumers.

Electricity Generation: Finance

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has plans to ensure that surplus power produced by privately owned (a) wind turbines, (b) small hydroelectric schemes and (c) other power generators is (i) fed into the National Grid and (ii) used for localised storage.

Graham Stuart: Surplus power produced by privately owned wind turbines, small hydroelectric schemes and other power generators can flow into the electricity network under the terms of the connection agreement with the network owner. The Smart Export Guarantee gives small scale low-carbon electricity generators the right to be paid for the renewable electricity they export to the grid. The Government and Ofgem are facilitating the deployment of electricity storage at all scales through the Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Procurement

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many suppliers his Department has excluded from procurement on the grounds of (a) fraud, (b) corruption and (c) other grounds under the Public Contract Regulations 2015 from 2015 to 2022.

Graham Stuart: This information is not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Nuclear Reactors: Construction

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his policy is on the deployment of further large-scale nuclear reactors in the UK after Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C.

Andrew Bowie: In order to meet the nuclear ambition set out in the British Energy Security Strategy, we will need to consider a range of technologies and options for deployment, including both large-scale reactors and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). Launched at my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Budget, Great British Nuclear (GBN) will enable Britain’s deployment of nuclear reactors beyond Sizewell C, addressing constraints in the nuclear market and delivering an ambitious civil nuclear programme. The initial focus for GBN will be on SMRs, but it will support government’s consideration of further large-scale projects beyond Sizewell C to help us deliver on our net zero ambitions.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: TikTok

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason his Department has kept its official Ministry of Defence TikTok account.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the TikTok account for his Department is hosted on a Government device.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the TikTok account for his Department utilises an official Departmental email address.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what risk assessment took place prior to the decision by his Department to retain its TikTok account.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2023 to Question 167132 on Ministry of Defence: TikTok, which devices are being used to publish and monitor his Department's TikTok content; and what security measures are in place to prevent hacking and spyware on those devices.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) TikTok account has been implemented to communicate globally the ongoing efforts of the UK Armed Forces, including our work with nine partner nations, to train Ukrainian soldiers and prepare them for frontline combat. To deliver our messages internationally we must leverage the largest digital platforms available to us with the most significant reach and scale. Defence communications needs to speak to both domestic and overseas audiences and as well as showcasing Defence events, our comms also form part of UK strategic messaging. TikTok is currently key to reaching vital overseas audiences. Our TikTok channel showcases the amazing courage and determination of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to win the war and highlights the multilateral support for UK-led training of Ukrainian troops. Whilst the benefits vs risk case is finely balanced, the MOD’s secure publishing model and long-standing experience of digital communication channels management enable us to operate the channel safely. Robust processes are in place to control publishing to social media from within the MOD. Communications on social media are delivered by separate systems through a small number of communications staff. TikTok communications, like all social media publishing, are delivered via third-party software and no Government (or personal) devices are being used to publish or monitor the platform directly. The MOD’s secure publishing model means that no MOD staff are logged into TikTok using an official device.

Ammunition: Production

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to help increase the production of 155mm ammunition in the UK.

Alex Chalk: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I have him on 3 March 2023 to questions 155014 and 155015.Ammunition Production (docx, 18.0KB)

Nuclear Reactors

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment has he made of the potential benefits to UK (a) defence and (b) industrial capability of utilising microreactor technologies for defence tasks.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has provided funding to the defence industry for the research and development of micro-reactor technology.

Alex Chalk: The Ministry of Defence is considering potential use cases for micro nuclear reactors in defence. There is obvious potential as both a low carbon, high density energy source and one that can offer new operational freedoms from a traditional fossil fuel supply chain. No Ministry of Defence funding has yet been allocated to defence industry for research and development of this technology.

David Carrick

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether allegations were made against David Carrick for violence against women during his service in the army.

Dr Andrew Murrison: We are not aware of any complaints having been reported against David Carrick during his Army service.

AUKUS: Nuclear Reactors

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, where the nuclear reactors for the SSN-AUKUS submarines will be built.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the document entitled Fact sheet: Trilateral Australia-UK-US Partnership on nuclear-powered submarines, updated on 13 March 2023, which elements of the SSN-AUKUS will be built (a) at the Barrow Shipyard and (b) elsewhere in the UK.

Alex Chalk: All the UK's SSN-AUKUS hulls will be built at the Barrow shipyard, and all the nuclear reactors for the UK and Australian SSN-AUKUS submarines will be made in the UK by Rolls Royce in Derby. This arrangement will create thousands of jobs, particularly in Barrow-in-Furness - the home of British submarine building.

F-35 Aircraft

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any F-35 jets have been affected by harmonic resonance issues with their engines; and what steps he is taking to resolve these engine issues.

Alex Chalk: No aircraft from the UK's operational F-35 Lightning fleet have been identified as being at risk of experiencing harmonic resonance, but a small number of aircraft in production for the UK were identified.In early March 2023, the F-35 Joint Program Office authorised a modification to mitigate the harmonic resonance issue. This has been fitted to the UK aircraft due to be delivered off the production line, and will be implemented across the entire UK fleet.

Sir John Moore Barracks

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) housing unit potential is of the Sir John Moore Barracks in Shorncliffe.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Wainscott Barracks.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Keogh Barracks.

Alex Chalk: Sir John Moore Barracks in Shorncliffe is 40.152 hectares in size. Wainscott Barracks is 24.084 hectares in size. Keogh Barracks is 46.263 hectares in size. No assessment has been made of the Housing Unit Potential of these sites, as they have not been identified for disposal.

Ministry of Defence: Procurement

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many suppliers his Department has excluded from procurement on the grounds of (a) fraud, (b) corruption and (c) other grounds under the Public Contract Regulations 2015 from 2015 to 2022.

Alex Chalk: As part of its standard procurement processes, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) requires potential suppliers to confirm whether they have been convicted in the last five years of certain offences set out in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. These include offences relating to fraud and corruption.Since Financial Year 2015-16, the MOD has placed over 14,000 contracts, and decisions on exclusion are made case-by-case. Information on how many suppliers have been excluded from procurement is therefore not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

A400M Aircraft: Parachuting

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March to Question 163729 on A400M Aircraft: Parachuting, what estimate he has made of the number of Atlas A400M aircraft that will receive first clearance for low-level parachuting in April 2023.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March to Question 163729 on A400M Aircraft: Parachuting, what estimate he has made of when all Atlas A400M aircraft will receive clearance for low-level parachuting.

Alex Chalk: The Atlas (A400M) fleet of aircraft is planned to receive first clearance for low-level parachuting in April 2023 with full low-level parachuting clearances in place in early 2024. Clearances will be given for the entire Atlas (A400M) fleet rather than for individual aircraft.

Portsmouth Dockyard

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of HMNB Portsmouth is.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) housing unit potential of Marchwood Military Port is.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) housing unit potential of Britannia Royal Naval College is.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) housing unit potential of HMS Raleigh.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) housing unit potential of RM Bickleigh is.

Alex Chalk: HMNB Portsmouth is 119.438 hectares in size. Marchwood Military Port is 92.724 hectares in size. Britannia Royal Naval College is 67.355 hectares in size. HMS Raleigh is 100.89 hectares in size. RM Bickleigh is 24.555 hectares in size. No assessment has been made of the Housing Unit Potential of these sites, as they have not been identified for disposal.

Cyprus: Military Bases

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to commission an official standard for the sovereign territories of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

James Heappey: I can confirm that there are no plans to commission an official standard for the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia at this time.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Wildlife: Conservation

Dean Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect the (a) populations and (b) habitats of (i) hedgehogs, (ii) red squirrels and (iii) rare species of wildlife in the UK.

Trudy Harrison: The Government remains committed to taking action to recover our threatened native species, that is why we have set four legally binding targets to drive and measure improvements in nature recovery in England. These targets are: to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030; then to reverse declines by 2042; to reduce the risk of species extinction by 2042; and restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat, also by 2042. We have set out our plan and policies to deliver against our species biodiversity targets in the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23) published 31 January 2023. The EIP23 revises the 25-Year Environment Plan as part of our obligations under the Environment Act. Measures introduced in the Environment Act such as biodiversity net gain and Local Nature Recovery Strategies will help deliver actions to recover species such as the hedgehog. Additionally, our new environmental land management schemes will pay for sustainable farming practices, creating and preserving habitat such as such as woodland, heathland and species-rich grassland, as well as making landscape-scale environmental changes, all of which could benefit species such as hedgehog.Defra, Natural England and the Forestry Commission are signatories to the United Kingdom Squirrel Accord. This partnership, of over 40 organisations seeks, to secure and expand red squirrel populations through the delivery of actions set out in the England Red Squirrel Action Plan. Additionally, Defra has provided £300k, to support research and development of fertility control methods to reduce numbers of grey squirrels and impacts on red squirrels, tree health and forestry. Work to reduce grey squirrel impacts will be supported by Defra’s commitment in the EIP to update the 2014 Grey Squirrel Action Plan, detailing commitments to support landowners to manage the numbers of grey squirrels.

Conservation Areas: Air Pollution

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of (a) special areas of conservation, (b) special protected areas and (c) sites of special scientific interest in England did not meet the favourable condition status because of air pollution in the latest period for which data is available.

Trudy Harrison: Our recently published Environmental Improvement Plan recognises that air pollution, in particular ammonia, harms biodiversity through nitrogen deposition. The Plan sets out action that Defra has taken including publication of guidance, delivery of advice through Catchment Sensitive Farming and funding for low emissions farm equipment. It also includes ambitious further measures to drive down emissions of ammonia from farming, including new rules to reduce emissions from organic manures and extension of environmental permitting to dairy and intensive beef farms. The Trends report published by Defra indicates the proportion of SACs, SPAs and SSSIs that are in exceedance of critical loads and levels for atmospheric nitrogen pollution and can be found here: Trends Report 2022: Trends in critical load and critical level exceedances in the UK. According to the 2022 report, over 90% of sensitive SACs, SPAs and SSSIs are predicted to exceed their site-relevant critical loads for nutrient nitrogen deposition for at least one of their features:  a) 90.9% of sensitive SACs or approx. 78% of all SACs  b) 91.7% of sensitive SPAs or approx. 85% of all SPAsc) 91.1% of sensitive SSSIs or approx. 65% of all SSSIs   Exceedance of acidity critical loads is predicted for 73.3% of sensitive SACs, 85.7% SPAs and 55.7% of sensitive SSSIs Information on air quality for individual protected sites can be found on the Air Pollution Information System (www.apis.ac.uk).

Litter

Dean Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the local council’s powers to deal with litter (a) nationally and (b) in Watford constituency.

Rebecca Pow: In recent years we have bolstered local authority enforcement powers by raising the upper limit on fixed penalty notices for littering and introducing powers to issue the keeper of a vehicle, from which litter is thrown, with a civil penalty. We have also published guidance on the provision of litter bins and provided nearly £1 million across 44 councils to help them purchase new bins. We will be undertaking a research project which considers the effectiveness of the different enforcement options available to local authorities, including fixed penalties, and the barriers they face in using these. The results of this research will inform policy development in this area.

Swimming

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the evidence required for bathing status designation, how many swimmers are considered adequate to reach the threshold of a large number of people.

Rebecca Pow: The Bathing Water Regulations 2013 require the Secretary of State to identify and maintain a list of the surface waters in England where she expects a large number of people to bathe. All applications for bathing water designation are assessed against this criterion and other criterion as set out in the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 and in the guidance available at Bathing waters: apply for designation or de-designation - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Disposable Wipes: Plastics

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she will bring forward legislative proposals to ban wet wipes containing plastic.

Rebecca Pow: Government is carefully considering the impact of wet wipes containing plastic and more information will be available in due course.

Department for Transport

Freight: Disability

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to help support disabled drivers in the haulage industry.

Mr Richard Holden: Drivers who may have a disability can drive an HGV so long as they meet the medical standard required. There are more stringent medical and eyesight standards for driving larger vehicles due to the size and weight of the vehicle and the length of time a professional driver typically spends at the wheel.The Government provides annual grant funding to the Mobility Centres of England, who conduct driving assessments for older/disabled people. Two of these Mobility Centres, in Carshalton and Birmingham, offer driving assessments for older/disabled HGV and PSV drivers.The Government and industry is investing up to £100 million to improve roadside facilities and rest areas via the ‘HGV parking and welfare grant scheme’ and National Highways funding to improve roadside facilities. This funding can be used for upgrading and improving facilities for disabled drivers.

Road Traffic Control

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has published recent guidance for local authorities on the publication of traffic management orders when introducing speed restrictions on roads.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department for Transport’s guidance Setting Local Speed Limits instructs that The Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996 (as amended) sets out the procedure to be followed when making speed limit orders and other traffic regulation orders. Traffic Authorities will need to comply with the consultation and publicity requirements before making an order, and with the publicity and traffic signing requirements once an order has been made.

Motorway Service Areas: Charging Points

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to (a) accelerate the rollout of electric vehicle infrastructure to motorway service areas and (b) ensure those areas are able to access the rapid charging fund.

Jesse Norman: The Government is working closely with motorway service area (MSA) operators to support them in the rollout of electric vehicle chargepoints. Over 97% of MSAs in England currently have rapid charging available. As of March 2023, MSAs in England support drivers with more than 400 open access chargepoints, over 230 of which are rapid (50kW), and over 200 are ultra-rapid (150kW+). This Government will continue to engage with industry on the development of the Rapid Charging Fund (RCF) to understand their views and gain insight. As part of the RCF, the Government will also identify areas that will be most in need of funding along the strategic road network.

High Speed 2 Line

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2023 to Question 163903 on Euston Station: High Speed 2 Line, what the timeframe is for the design stage of phase one of the HS2 project.

Huw Merriman: The scheme design for Phase 1 Civils, Old Oak Common Station, Interchange Station and Birmingham Curzon Street are complete with detailed design for assets continuing to be developed to support ongoing construction.

Euston Station: High Speed 2 Line

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2023 to Question 163903 on Euston Station: High Speed 2 Line, what his timeframe is for the HS2 Euston station design.

Huw Merriman: The latest design phase for Euston station has been completed by HS2 Ltd’s contractors as scheduled. As set out by the Secretary of State for Transport in his written statement to Parliament of 9 March 2023, the Government will take the time to ensure an affordable and deliverable HS2 station design at Euston. Further instruction regarding the next stage of design will be issued by HS2 Ltd in due course.

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the Clean Maritime Plan 2023.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department intends to publish an update to the Clean Maritime Plan later this year. It will set out the next steps to decarbonise the maritime sector and limit the impact of shipping on the wider environment. The update is currently being developed in collaboration with the maritime industry.

Women and Equalities

Women: Employment

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department are taking to reduce incidences of workplace misogyny.

Maria Caulfield: Everyone should be able to live without fear of harassment or violence, in the workplace as much as anywhere else. Strong laws against workplace harassment are set out in the Equality Act 2010.We listened carefully to the experiences shared through our consultation on sexual harassment in the workplace, and committed to a new package of measures which will prioritise prevention. As part of this work, the Government is supporting the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill introduced by the Hon. Member for Bath, which will strengthen protections for employees against workplace harassment.This builds on the steps we are taking to foster workplaces that celebrate diverse experiences and backgrounds. The Government’s Inclusion at Work Panel will tackle bias and ensure fairness in the workplace by developing and disseminating effective resources to help employers. This will help to create workplaces where everyone feels supported and encouraged to reach their career potential.

Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Justice: Procurement

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many suppliers his Department has excluded from procurement on the grounds of (a) fraud, (b) corruption and (c) other grounds under the Public Contract Regulations 2015 from 2015 to 2022.

Mike Freer: The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. To obtain the information a manual search through individual records would be required as this is not recorded centrally on departmental systems.The grounds for the exclusion of bidders from public procurement procedures are set out in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. These rules set out the circumstances in which bidders must, or may, be excluded from a public procurement process.The Procurement Bill brought forward by this Conservative Government, currently being considered by Parliament, expands the scope of misconduct which can lead to exclusion. We are also increasing the time period within which misconduct can lead to exclusion from 3 years to 5; bringing subsidiary companies into scope of exclusion; and making the rules clearer so that contracting authorities can undertake exclusions with more confidence.